A.G. van Hamel

Anton Gerard van Hamel (5 July 1886, Hilversum – 23 November 1945, Utrecht)) was a Dutch scholar, best known for his contributions to Celtic and Germanic studies, especially those relating to literature, linguistics, philology and mythology. He is not to be confused with his uncle, Anton Gerard van Hamel (1842 – 1907), who was a theologian, professor of French and editor of De Gids.

Having completed secondary education at the municipal grammar school (now Barlaeus Gymnasium) in Amsterdam, Van Hamel went on to study Dutch language and literature at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) between 1904 and 1908. In addition, he attended colleges and private schools in Ireland and Germany. An avid student, he published articles in Propria Cures on (early) Germanic and Celtic studies, subjects which would later become his special field of expertise. In 1911, he was awarded a doctorate, cum laude, for his research on De oudste Keltische en Angelsaksische geschiedbronnen (‘The oldest Celtic and Anglo-Saxon historical sources’) under the supervision of R.C. Boer.

Van Hamel’s early career was characterised by a number of ebbs and flows, in which his ambition to obtain an academic chair of his preference was thwarted by either controversy or plain ill fortune. In 1910, Van Hamel taught Dutch at the municipal grammar school in Middelburg, but felt unhappy about his position and low pay. In 1912, an attempt to obtain the chair of English professor at the UvA failed as he was openly accused of a poor grasp of English. The same year, he was teaching Dutch again, then at the Erasmiaansch Gymnasium in Rotterdam. New prospects emerged during the First World War, when he received the post of extraordinary professor of Dutch language and literature at the University of Bonn. However, troublesome experiences with the German government led Van Hamel to take recourse to The Netherlands — ostensibly in order to visit his ill father, but he did not return to Germany. In 1917, he found a position as librarian at the Netherlands School of Commerce (Nederlandsche Handels-Hoogeschool) in Rotterdam. His nomination in 1918 for the chair of Dutch language and literature held by Jan te Winkel at the UvA projected him unfavourably into the spotlight, as several linguists voiced their objections, often in favour of another scholar of their choice. Van Hamel remained librarian, though he saw opportunity to combine his work with a private teaching position of Celtic at Leiden University. In 1921, he moved from Rotterdam to Den Haag, being appointed librarian of the Peace Palace.

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